I’m at school 2 hours after the bell blasting Pearl Jam and doing sub plans. You feel me?
This morning, as I was getting my Twitter fix for the day, I came across this gem from
@lizzy_ng:
#RockonYoungGun
I love me some Pearl Jam, a classic grunge group (as if most people don’t know this all ready!). But I lie if I said that this group was my goto group. Way back in the day, this was jamming from my apartment in Winona, MN, where I went to college, but now, there’s so much more:
This is a group that I also discovered in the ’90s as well. There’s rhymes, the flow of their beat, the other artists who were featured on their CDs, all of this was a big draw to this Iowa boy.
I could go on and on about this group. They come to Iowa Irish Fest every year and put on a heck of a show. An Irish group with the flair for the dramatic, but yet, so dang talented! If you watched the movie, Titanic, you’ve heard the boys play!
The name of the group suggests some anger issues, which would be correct. They are a rock band who express “revolutionary views” (Wikipedia’s words, not mine), and they do just that. They do it in a way that is just amazing. Another ’90 throwback!
This is a podcast that I’ve listened to for years. The DJ, Steve Boyett, has another podcast called Podrunner for those of you who are active, but Grooveletric does it for me. This is progressive house, deep house, or just house music, depending on your definition. Either way, the music makes me move and it so much different than the other stuff already mentioned.
This group from Los Angles, this is one I discovered because of the Internet. When we first got “fast” Internet at school, I’d stream music from iTunes radio (the really early one). One day, while at school, this group came on and I was enthralled! Again, this Iowa boy loved the beat, the message, and simply how the different types of music that came from one song! I also discovered Chali 2NA and Cut Chemist as well, but that’s for a different post! 🙂
Who doesn’t love electronic dance music (EDM)? Wait, don’t answer that. I’m a bit of a lone wolf in my neck of the woods, but I love this kind of music. I first really dove into this type of music when I found a video from a festival in Poland called Sunrise. This was a bucket list place (way down the list because my wife’s taste in music does NOT include EDM), but then I found Ultra. Good grief! Great sets, great artists, and in the United States. Again, probably won’t attend this event, but I can dream! 🙂
So, after an absolutely crappy day, a crappy day in a stream of crappy days, it’s music that reminds me that I can and will do better tomorrow. These groups and many others found via streaming, YouTube, my CD collection (yes, I’m old!), all of this makes life more bearable.
March 4, 2020 at 10:51 pm
thanks for the music education. I am woefully behind, perhaps stuck in the ’70s… The biggest take-away I have here is that perhaps I should listen to jam music in the afternoons when I wish I were at home, but have so much to do, I’ll never leave the building.
March 5, 2020 at 8:35 am
Nothing wrong with being stuck in the ’70s! There’s some faboulous music that was produced during that time period. Find that “school appropriate” (🙄) jam that you can play!
March 5, 2020 at 4:16 am
Way to find the thing to pick yourself up!
March 5, 2020 at 5:26 am
You hit the nail on the head-music definitely heals the soul and always makes me wonder why that is? I know there is always a song bouncing around in my head! 🙂
March 5, 2020 at 8:25 am
My wife has this ability to turn almost anything into song. Drives me crazy, but it also shows why all of us love to sing. It’s just in our DNA.
March 6, 2020 at 5:35 am
I love it! I used to do that in class…start singing my directions and that would get the kids quiet faster than saying, “Settle down.” I guess it’s in our DNA…going all the way back to our biological evolution.
March 9, 2020 at 5:47 am
Tried to comment on Finding Happy but it says, “Comments Closed” Loved that last line in ‘Finding Happy’ to share our happy with the students. Often times we ‘get down to business’ right away. Glad you are getting back to running. 🙂
March 9, 2020 at 6:40 am
Apparently the app and the desktop verisions of WordPress don’t play well with each other. Thanks for pointing that out! We do needs to share with our students. Each Monday, we have a “celebration” where we share something that we did that was fun or silly or whatever! The kids look it as “getting out of class”, while I see it as a way to show how we can find joy in the little things! 🙂
March 9, 2020 at 4:56 pm
That’s a neat idea! Thanks for sharing. 🙂
March 5, 2020 at 6:56 am
I have to say in my room while I’m planning this morning I’ve turned on some 90s music myself: TLC. Up next: Pearl Jam-Daughter.
March 5, 2020 at 8:25 am
This week has been Ozomatli on shuffle. They feel my mood about school right now! 😀
March 5, 2020 at 9:00 am
I checked them out & they are awesome!
March 5, 2020 at 8:25 am
I prefer mournful Rachmaninoff and Chopin… Students have actually come to ask about “that weird music” coming from my classroom…
March 5, 2020 at 8:32 am
I will pull up some of that too, but during the school day. I’ve got some live streaming “chillhop” too that we listen to, just to keep everyone calm.
March 5, 2020 at 9:29 am
Music can be so healing. Maybe that’s just what I need today. Like you, I have been experiencing a stream of crappy days. Hope today is a good one for you!
March 5, 2020 at 11:18 pm
Hey Amanda! I’m glad I could help you out! That’s what we are here for, give each other a hand up! 🙂
Today will be an outstanding day, so smile, it makes people wonder what you are up to! 😉
March 5, 2020 at 9:26 pm
I loved the music list, and clearly need to do a bit of musical research because I have only heard of some of your choices. This morning my iPhone decided I needed some Frank Turner on my way to school, and I thought that angry rock music from a ex-hard core punk rocker seemed to mesh with my day pretty well. (I love angry music and emo music because they make me think, “Ha! So glad I’m not you!” and cheer me up.) Then my phone jumped to Tom Lehrer and Victor Borge. I was enjoying the incongruous mash-up until my 9 year old begged, “Mommmmm, turn on the RADIO!!!!!!” Then we both got to be happy with The Killers and billie eilish.
March 5, 2020 at 11:12 pm
I just looked up Frank Turner and just found another person to add to my list! He’s really good! I’ve got his “Tiny Desk” concert playing right now. Thank you for your comment and your recommendations! 🙂